German Dioxin Cases Discovered in Pigs

The German dioxin scare has spread to pigs, prompting the first cases of contaminated pork to result in the slaughter and incineration of hundreds of pigs

The German dioxin scare has spread to pigs, prompting the first cases of contaminated pork to result in the slaughter and incineration of hundreds of pigs.

Samples of fat from pigs on one farm supplied with contaminated feed recorded more than 70 times the approved amount of dioxin, the United Kingdom’s Associated Press reported.

The Lower Saxony regional government has reported that there are now only 330 farms that are still restricted from marketing livestock and livestock products. Across all of Germany, an estimated 558 farms were still restricted, down from 4,700 European Union (EU) farms that were originally closed in early January.

A public prosecutor is said to be investigating the source of the contamination. “Anyone who puts the existence of hundreds of farms at risk and threatens the health of consumers must be held accountable. It is important: consumers and farmers need clarity. Consumers want to know which batches are affected by pollution. And the farmers need as quickly as possible the certainty that their products are free from contamination so that they can market their products again,” says Federal Consumer Protection Minister Ilse Aigner.

A EU spokesman said he was disappointed with proposals to prevent a further dioxin outbreak. He admitted that this was the fourth dioxin contamination incident in a decade and indicated there was no clear indication of what had happened in Germany or when.